and every parent in america has a heart heavy with hurt. among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. so our hearts are broken today. we grieve for the families of those we lost. and we keep in our prayers the parents of those who survived. because as blessed as they are to have their children home, they know that their child's innocence has been torn away far too early. as a nation, we have endured far too many of these tragedies in the last few years. an elementary school in newtown, a shopping mall in oregon, a house of worship in wisconsin, a movie theater in colorado, countless street corners in places like chicago and philadelphia. any of these neighborhoods could be our own. so we have to come together, and we're going to have to take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this from happening. regardless of politics. this weekend, michelle and i are doing what i know every parent is doing, holding our children as close as we can and reminding them h